Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered bird

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Antonsrkn
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Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered bird

Post by Antonsrkn »

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-an ... ered-birds

So I heard this news not long ago but didn't see a complete list until today at the above site. Checked to see how many of them I have seen in the wild... Drumroll please... Grand total: 0

I know many of you have seen California Condors, so thats atleast 1/100. So how many of the 100 most unusual and endangered birds have you all seen? Photos more than welcome if you have them.
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monklet
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by monklet »

Got one, California Condor on an old yard list. Complete with wing-tags, but hey, still a condor:)
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chrish
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by chrish »

I've got a few, mostly from New Zealand:

9. Christmas Island Frigatebird
14. New Zealand Storm-petrel
43. Kokako
54. Siberian Crane
65. Kaka
76. Shore Plover

Seems a bit of a silly list in some regards. Why aren't any hummingbirds on there? Surely they are among the most unusual birds?
And why a Northern Brown Kiwi but not one of the other more endangered Kiwis or the Southern Brown Kiwi which I have seen?
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monklet
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by monklet »

That's amazing ...do you like travel 365 days a year? Must be nice :)
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Curtis Hart
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by Curtis Hart »

I've seen the Secretary Bird and California Condor, with the numbers on the wing. I remember deciding not to make an effort to see a Maleo in Sulawesi, in hindsight, I regret that. I probably saw Greater Adjuncts in Cambodia back in '01, however, that was before I knew I enjoyed birding and made no effort to ID them to Greater or Lesser.


ImageSecretarybird by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
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Antonsrkn
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by Antonsrkn »

Seems a bit of a silly list in some regards. Why aren't any hummingbirds on there? Surely they are among the most unusual birds?
And why a Northern Brown Kiwi but not one of the other more endangered Kiwis or the Southern Brown Kiwi which I have seen?
Like any list of this sort, there is bound to be some species left out but now that you mention it, it does seem odd that there's not a single hummingbird on there. I don't know but I imagine some of them are quite endangered. I tried following the link back to the main site to see how the species are chosen. I found this quote:
These are the world's most extraordinary threatened species – frogs that give birth through their skin and mammals that are immune to cyanide – yet most are unfamiliar and not currently receiving conservation attention.
Apparently that was written before the bird one, but sounds like they may focus on species not receiving conservation attention? (I just wrote that and it occurred to me that the CA condor is on their list and it receives lots of conservation attention, oh well I have no idea)

I did come across their top 100 lists for amphibs and mammals.
Amphibians: http://edgeofexistence.org/amphibians/top_100.php
Again, I have seen 0 of these.. :(
Mammals: http://edgeofexistence.org/mammals/top_100.php
Shockingly I racked up 5 species here, wasn't expecting that one. :D
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chrish
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by chrish »

monklet wrote:That's amazing ...do you like travel 365 days a year? Must be nice :)
It isn't so much the number of days per year I travel but rather the number of years I've been traveling. :(

I didn't have a single of the herps (again, how come none of the central Texas salamanders are on there and why so many neotropical species? No Golden Toads or Tarahumara Frogs?)

I only had one mammal - South Asian River Dolphin - although I couldn't swear I've never seen some of those rodents in southern Mexico.

Clearly I waste too much time looking at birds.
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Andy Avram
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by Andy Avram »

All those lists are little weird with what they chose to include/exclude. I think someone had a huge fascination with Mexican Ambsytoma sp. in the amphibian section.

For the record I have seen 0 of the birds, 0 of the amphibians and 1 mammal. I need to get out more!
chrish wrote: I only had one mammal - South Asian River Dolphin - although I couldn't swear I've never seen some of those rodents in southern Mexico.
Really, you have never seen a West Indian Manatee?
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chrish
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by chrish »

Andy Avram wrote:All those lists are little weird with what they chose to include/exclude. I think someone had a huge fascination with Mexican Ambsytoma sp. in the amphibian section.

For the record I have seen 0 of the birds, 0 of the amphibians and 1 mammal. I need to get out more!
chrish wrote: I only had one mammal - South Asian River Dolphin - although I couldn't swear I've never seen some of those rodents in southern Mexico.
Really, you have never seen a West Indian Manatee?
OK, two mammals. I missed that one.
I have seen a footprint of a Javan Rhinoceros in the rainforest of western Java. Does that count? :lol:
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Andy Avram
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by Andy Avram »

chrish wrote: OK, two mammals. I missed that one.
I have seen a footprint of a Javan Rhinoceros in the rainforest of western Java. Does that count? :lol:
Only if I can then count the Baird's Tapir footprints I have seen.
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gbin
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by gbin »

Andy Avram wrote:
chrish wrote: OK, two mammals. I missed that one.
I have seen a footprint of a Javan Rhinoceros in the rainforest of western Java. Does that count? :lol:
Only if I can then count the Baird's Tapir footprints I have seen.
Sorry, you can only count it if you've seen scat as well as footprints (as I have for Baird's tapir ;) ).

Seriously though, whether it counts or not, seeing Javan rhino tracks is pretty dang impressive! :shock:

Gerry
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Antonsrkn
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by Antonsrkn »

I have seen a footprint of a Javan Rhinoceros in the rainforest of western Java. Does that count? :lol:
Almost haha, thats still awesome though. I was always on the look out for Sumatran rhino prints while I was field assisting in Borneo last summer, saw some wallows they may or may not have used but never any prints. About a month ago WWF captured a wild rhino out there, maybe the last one in the area! It kills me that I wasn't there to see it, maybe they'll catch another when i'm out there again this year.... yeah right.

Oh and despite this being the bird forum, with all this talk of Bairds tapirs, thought you guys might like this, not the best shot by any means but it was a really amazing experience. Thats the ocean behind them and there was another tapir just a little ways down the beach as well.
Imagetapir mother with calf by antonsrkn, on Flickr
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Noah M
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by Noah M »

Yeah, not sure how these lists are created. As far as seeing stuff, most of the species listed are in other countries. So unless you have the opportunity and means to travel, you're not going to get to see any of it. If we're comparing what we have seen, then perhaps a more fair list to go on would be the rarest animals in the United States.

Living in Florida, I feel like the West Indian Manatee should not be on the list, they're kinda everywhere down here it seems.

I think the take home message for me is that there are a lot of beautiful creatures in this world, and too many of them are endangered!
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jonathan
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Re: Scientists name world's 100 most unusual and endangered

Post by jonathan »

I've been lucky enough to see five wild condors, four in flight at Big Sur and one juvenile perched at Tejon Ranch. Also saw Egyptian Vultures in the Himalayas.

Image

Image


I thought Forest Owlet was a weird inclusion - they're very rare, but they're pretty much just like the super-common Spotted Owlet, so how are they unusual?

Just saw Lesser Adjucant in the Sunderbans, but the Greater Adjucants are extirpated from there now.

Did get lots of Ganges River Dolphins in the Sunderbans though. Should get an Asian Elephant soon enough. No whales/manatees from the list though.


So that's 2 birds, 1 mammal, and no amphibians (don't think I've even been remotely close to any of those amphibians...where's the Southern Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs on the list?)
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